Given how almost impossible it is to become a blockbusters star, you’d be forgiven for thinking Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson wouldn’t moan about it… until he tanked his career by being an arse about Black Adam.

However it turns out the Rock felt pigeonholed and wished to be a more serious (and less financially successful) actor.

Speaking of his new movie in which he plays a dramatic, real life style role, he said “I’ve been scared to go deep and intense and raw until now, until I had this opportunity to do this.” I mean, making your fights look like you weren’t in peril didn’t help did it.”

“When you’re in Hollywood, as we all know, it had become about box office and you chase the box office. And the box office in our business is very loud, it can be very [overwhelming]. It can push you into a corner and category – ‘This is your lane, this is what you do, and this is what people want you to be and this is what Hollywood wants you to be’.”

Again, given Black Adam, we don’t really believe him.

“And I understood that, and I made those movies and I liked them and they were fun, and some were really good and did well, and some not so good!” he laughed.
“But I think what I did realise is I just had this burning desire and this voice that was just saying, ‘what if there’s more, what if I can?’
“Sometimes it’s hard to know what you’re capable of when you’ve been pigeon-holed into something. It’s harder to know ‘wait, can I do that? I feel like I can’. And sometimes it takes people who you love and respect to say ‘you can’.”

The good news for the Rock is his turn in The Smashing Machine is getting praise as proper, really good acting.